Fluid administration apparatus



April 8, 1969 1. P. VITELLO ET AL 3,437,117

FLUID ADMINISTRATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 24, 19e? sheet INVENTORS. JOHN P V I TELLO AND BY RENE E BAscoBERT @auf 6em,

ATTORNEYS April 8, 1969 .1. P. vlTELLo ET AL 3,437,117

FLUID ADMINISTRATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 24. 1967 Sheet 2 of 2 zwi/77222;

INVENTORS. JOHN P. VITELLO AND 4 BY RENE F. laAscoBERT4 AT ORA/EY;

United States Patent Oice 3,43 7,1 17` Patented Apr. 8, 1969 3,437,117 FLUID ADMINISTRATION APPARATUS `lohn P. Vitello, Duxbury, Mass., and Reue F. Bascobert, Tonawanda, N.Y., assiguors to Sterilon Corporation, Braintree, Mass.

Filed Jan. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 611,440 Int. Cl. B6Sd 33/30; A45c 13/ 00 U.S. Cl. 150-3 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to fluid administration apparatus and is directed in particular to an improved form of closure device thereof.

Apparatus according to the present invention constitutes an improvement in fluid administration apparatus disclosed in APatent No. 3,251,390, issued May 17, 1966.

Generally speaking, the type of apparatus to which the present invention appertains is that characterized by the provision of an elongate ilexible bag of generally tubular form, the bag preferably being constructed of a synthetic resinous material such as polyethylene and being essentially film-like so that the bag is completely flexible and incapable of self-support. The bag is open at one end to provide a filling mouth and means is associated with the other end of the bag for administering fluid contained therein. The open mouth of the bag is provided with a relatively stiff closure member in the form of an element joined to the bag mouth and lying normally in at condition so as to close the mouth of the bag and being provided with a tab free to swing away from the surface of the bag and which normally projects towards the closed end thereof so that when swung around, the mouth of the bag is folded over to dispose the tab uppermost for suspending the bag therefrom. The reltively stiif member may be bowed or sprung by manual pressure to readily admit opening the bag mouth for receiving fluids.

According to the present invention, a bag having the general characteristics described herein above is provided with a closure member having a ridge or bead member thereon so that when the mouth of the bag is double folded, the bead member underlies the exposed fold and is adapted to receive a split tube or holder in embracing relationship thereto to prevent unfolding of the bag mouth and thereby effect a positive closure assembly. In short, the present invention discloses means whereby fluid administration apparatus of the character described may be provided additionally with a positive closure. This lfeature is often desirable due to the fact that it may be desirable to administer the fluid forcibly by expelling fluid from the apparatus rather than rely upon gravity feed. By means of the present invention, due to the positive closure feature, the fluid may be forcibly expelled by pressing upon or squeezing the bag.

Other Objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the specification hereinafter, and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a fluid administration device having the improved closure member of this invention attached thereto;

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FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the m-outh portion of the bag and illustrating the manner in which the closure member may be sprung or bowed to open the bag mouth;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bag mouth illustrating the closure member after having been swung to ba-g hanging position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view partly in section illustrating the condition of the bag mouth as shown in FIGURE 2;

FIG. 5 is a side evelational view showing the bag mouth region in section when the closure member is in the bag hanging position shown in FIGURE 3;

FIG. 6` is a perspective view of the fluid administration device with the positive locking closure mechanism in place;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken substantialy along the plane of section line 7 7 in FIGURE 6 and illustrating the relative disposition of parts;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the bag closure member according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the split tube or holder according to the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the top of the bag with the closure assembly in place but illustrating the suspending tab in position for hanging the fluid administration device.

As shown in the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates in general an elongate tubular bag formed of suitable synthetic resinous material having film-like properties. The lower end of the bag is closed as for example by heat-sealing Ias indicated by the reference character 12 and an outlet nipple is provided at this closed end of the bag to which a tube 14 is attached for administering the fluid contents of the bag. The upper end of the bag is open and has associated therewith la combined closure and suspending member indicated Vgenerally by the reference character 16. This member includes a body portion 18 which is of a width substantially equal to one-half the girth of the bag mouth and in the specic example shown, this body portion 18 is disposed within the contines of the bag mouth. The member 1-6 also includes a tab 20 suitably apertured as at 22 for suspending the bag when desired as will hereinafter be described and this tab projects through a slit in one wall of the bag mouth so as to lie on the outside of the bag in the manner shown in FIGURE 1 to project normally towards the lower or closed end of the bag. The member .16 is heat-sealed to the bag mouth adjacent the upper end thereof as indicated by the reference character 24 land heat-sealing is also provided as at 26 and 28 on the inner and outer sides of the bag mouth wall in the region of the slit through which the tab 20 projects so that the member 16 is integrally joined to the bag mouth.

The member 16 is formed of relatively stiff but springy material so that it may be bowed manually in a fashion shown in FIGURE 2 to fully open the bag mouth and admit of the disposition of uid thereinto whereafter releasing the bowing force on the member 16 will allow same to assume its normally fiat condition and thus effectively close the bag mouth. If, now, the tab 20 is inverted to the position shown in FIGURE 3 the bag mouth will be folded as indicated -by reference character 30 and will be supported along such fold when the device is suspended through the aperture 22 of the tab 20. To this end, as is shown in FIGURE 8, the tab 20 is narrower than the main body portion 18 of the member 16 providing the shoulders 32 and 34 on either side of the tab 20 over which the fold 30 is formed. The member 16 is provided with a bead along that edge thereof which lies in close proximity to the upper end of the bag and in a preferred embodiment of the invention,

3 this bead is formed by a web portion 36 which is positioned beyond the bag mouth and terminates in a thickened edge portion 38. Preferably, the bead is of greater length than is the width of the main body portion 18 so as to overhang the opposite sides of the bag in the manner clearly illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

When the bag is double-folded as is indicated in FIG- URE 7, the bead device will lie within the double thickness fold 42 of the bag body as is illustrated and the split tube 40 shown in FIGURES 9 is adapted to be received over this fold in embracing relationship to the bead device as is shown in FIGURE 7 so as to positively lock the bag in closed position against the discharge of fluid therefrom through the bag mouth. Thus, when the iluid administration device is utilized in the horizontal position shown in FIGURE 6, no possibility of fiuid escape through the bag mouth exists. Moreover, while in this or any other position, the fluid contents of the bag may be forcibly administered by pressing upon or squeezing the bag. This manner of iluid administration is often desirable as opposed to the relatively slow fluid administration effected by gravity feed. The tube 40 is of C-shaped cross section and one end is beveled or tapered as at 44 to admit of easier engagement of the tube over the bag in embracing relation to the bead as is shown in FIGURE 7. FIGURE 10 illustrates the fact that when the tube 40 is engaged with the bag, it is still possible to suspend or support the bag in vertical position by means of the tab 20.

Whereas only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove, it will be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a -bag construction, the combination of a tubular bag formed of flexible material normally residing in fiatfolded condition presenting opposite side portions lying in contiguous relation, said bag having one end portion thereof open to define a mouth;

means for rigidifying one of said side portions adjacent to and in a direction across said bag mouth through` out a transverse extent of said bag substantially equal to one-half the girth thereof whereby said side portions are normally held in a bag mouth-closing adjacency to each other, said means comprising a sheet of relatively stiff but springy material having a main body portion disposed between said side portions and attached to said one side portion and a suspending ta-b portion joined to and projecting from a lower edge of said main body portion through a slit opening provided in said one side portion to normally lie along and outside f said bag, said main body portion having adjacent an upper edge thereof a bead positioned beyond said mouth; and

a Split tubular member being adapted, when said mouth end of said bag is double folded towards an opposite end of said bag to place said bead within a fold of said bag, to embrace the folded body of Said bag and said bead lying `within said fold.

2. In a bag construction, the combination of a tubular bag formed of flexible, film-like material normally residing in a flat-folded condiiton presenting opposite side portions lying in contiguous relation, said bag having one end portion thereof open to define a bag mouth and provide with a discharge conduit at an opposite end thereof;

a stiffening member disposed between said side portions at said mouth end of said fbag, said member comprising a sheet of relatively stiff but springy material and having a rectangular main body portion secured to one of said side portions and of a width commensurate with that of said one side portion, said body portion having a bead portion lying outside and across said mouth end of said bag, said -bead portion being of a length to extend laterally of said bag mouth at least on one side thereof, and said bead portion including a web portion joined with said main body portion and a thickened portion joined to and extending lengthwise of said web portion, said thickened portion being thickened in a direction normal to the surfaces of `said web portion and having lengthwise extending marginal edges thereof projecting beyond said web portion surfaces; and

a split tubular member being adapted, when said mouth end of said bag is double folded towards said opposite end of said bag to place said bead thickened portion within a fold of said bag, to embrace the folded body of said bag and said bead thickened portion lying Within said fold.

3. The bag construction according to claim 1, wherein said main body portion is generally rectangular, said tab portion projects centrally from said lower edge thereof, and said lower edge of said main body portion defines shoulders arranged parallel to said upper edge thereof on either side of said tab portion, said shoulders rbeing adapted to support portions of said one said portion aligned with said split opening kwhen said bag is suspended by said tab portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,857,010 5/1932 Avery 229-65 2,021,609 11/1935 Pippert 229-65 2,355,786 8/ 1944 Dreher et al. 229-62 2,522,480 9/1950 Davis 15G-3 3,251,390 5/1966 Evans 150-3 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

